Sewer Rats
by ravensbomb
Summary: Bolin recalls a covert mission he undertook with Asami during the Equalist uprising.
**Whitefall's Wolfbats (Earthbender) Probending Round 2 - Opposites Attract**

"And this is the airship control room slash conference area. It's where Team Avatar have super important, world defining meetings!" Bolin boomed whilst gesturing to the ornate table at the centre of the space. His other arm was wrapped tightly around their first and long awaited recruit, Kai. And even getting him on board wasn't exactly plain sailing.

"It's also where you spilled hot chocolate all over the damn map yesterday," Korra muttered in irritation as she and Mako poured over documents and scrolls from other settlements in the Earth Kingdom, most notably the ancient city of Ba Sing Se, whose lack of communication was concerning. It seemed Mako was the one doing most of the reading, taking notes as he worked, whilst Korra sat crossed legged on the table, leaning her head into her hands. "Do you think I have a criminal record now? With those Earth Kingdom police? I did toss them about quiet a lot."

Mako flicked his hand nonchalantly as Bolin and Kai passed, making sure to narrow his gaze at the new airbender. Kai didn't even flinch, smirking instead. "I honestly didn't know you cared. Thinking of moving to the Earth Kingdom?"

"Well Republic City's not my home for the foreseeable future thanks to President Asshole elect, and I've got some serious questions about that election too," Korra growled before smacking a fist against the table surface and sending paper flying into the air.

Mako grabbed at the papers in a panic before glaring at the Avatar. "I had these all organized!"

"You call that organized?!" Korra retorted whilst leaping swiftly from the table, fists still clenched.

"It's my _own_ personal organisation system!"

"I'm gonna go spar on deck. I can't wrap my head around whatever you're doing," Korra shook her head.

Kai leaned up to whisper in Bolin's ear. "One minute she seems like she wants to hug you, the next she wants to kill you. Is the Avatar always like that?"

Bolin shrugged. "Sorta..."

Kai folded his arms behind his head with a wide grin. "Cool."

"And here is Team Avatar's most precious asset! Our pilot! Benefactor! And all round top notch gal!" Bolin announced with wide arms before grabbing the back of the pilot's chair and shaking it enthusiastically as he spun the seat around. "Asami Sato!"

Asami's face was frozen in surprise for a few seconds before she shook her head clear. "Bolin...please don't do that again..."

"Woops! Sorry!" Bolin apologized before gesturing to Kai. "I'm just so excited about our first airbender! The first of many!"

"Hopefully..." Asami replied quietly before she grabbed at Kai's arms in a panic. "Hey! Get away from the controls! Do you know anything about flying an airship?! One wrong button press and we drop out of the sky!"

Kai shook from her grip easily, a smirk across his face before he took a reluctant step back. "Doesn't matter to me. Airbending makes falling through the sky boring." He pointed accusingly at Bolin who was now standing beside Asami, right at the controls. "He doesn't know how to fly an airship either, why are you letting him near the controls?!"

Asami glared at the new airbender before pulling down a lever. "I trust Bolin with my life."

"He's just as much of a goof as me, maybe even more," Kai retorted with wide hand gestures. "And you – you seem kinda cold." Asami's expression narrowed even more. "Maybe that wasn't the right word – boring? No. That's not it."

"Level headed?" Bolin suggested cautiously. He cut a hand across his throat subtly, an indication that Kai wasn't to continue with this train of thought.

Kai listened for once, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Yeah, that's the one. Words aren't exactly something I'm good at..."

"Just stay away from the controls," Asami muttered as she spun back around.

Bolin tapped her shoulder reassuringly. "Asami and I are actually a great crack team. Brains and brawn. The perfect combo."

"How can two people with so many differences ever work together without tearing each other's heads off...?" Kai asked in confusion.

"You're probably more used to working on your own," Bolin suggested with a sad smile. Kai nodded slowly. "Once you start working with the rest of the new airbenders, you'll see. People with differences bring a lot more to the table together than apart. It makes things unpredictable for the guys we have to fight, plus double the brain power, double the perspective. That means less mistakes."

"Balance," Asami summed up with a small smile. "Opposites balance each other out. Positives and negatives. That's how power works. Put two of the same together and things can get...explosive...in a bad way..."

"Is there any such thing as a good explosion?" Bolin asked incredulously.

"A controlled one," Asami decided before smirking. "But the uncontrollable does have it's appeal, don't get me wrong. Keeps you on your toes." She turned her head briefly to the conference table.

"It doesn't always work out though...'Sami, remember when we went off to get those chi-blocker outfits?"

"Vividly."

* * *

"You know...Mako and Korra offered to go and get the Equalist outfits, they're going to be the ones wearing them," Bolin muttered softly as he pointed a torch down the long sewer ahead, pulling his dank hood up tightly to properly conceal his face. The thousands of refugees in the sanitation system of Republic City had been incredibly hospitable to Team Avatar ever since they'd went into hiding, giving himself an Asami clothes to disguise themselves. He doubted Asami had ever worn something quite so dirty.

Sadly, the city above was Amon's now. There were no shadows cast by skyscrapers down here, only his and Asami's, their bodies creating eerie figures against a murky wall at their side. It was covered in the levels of grime you would expect in a sewer, and Bolin had quickly grown used to the smell. He'd breathed in _a lot_ worse.

"I'm sick of sitting doing nothing, listening to people mouth off about my father and what he's doing," Asami explained with venom as she marched forward a few paces ahead of him. Every echo from her Fire Nation style boots sent chills running up Bolin's spine. He half expected a chi-blocker to drop down any second, emerge from some pipe in the distance, and he'd so far proven himself pretty useless against them in combat. Especially up close.

How long could they possibly all hold out down here before this underground sanctuary was discovered anyway? A few days, a week at most. Time really was against them. He hoped the United Forces arrived soon. Until then, they'd be stuck down in the shadows, getting whatever information they could.

"Are you not angry at Hiroshi anymore?" Bolin asked cautiously.

Asami stopped herself suddenly and breathed in deeply. "I'm angry at all of them! Everyone who's lied to me over the past few weeks and...and years..." Her voice cracked more with every word. "Years Bolin! And now he's up there...flaunting his victory, manipulating all those people, and I'm letting him..."

"You're not, it's not your fault you trusted your dad," Bolin placed a hand on her trembling shoulder.

"Maybe I shouldn't be so trustworthy in the future," Asami shook her head furiously.

"Do you really want to go up there?"

Asami wiped away a stray tear before her expression steeled over. "Yes. We've got to get those chi-blocker outfits...and maybe I can even plot some key Equalist holdouts for when the United Forces arrive on a map. None of you know Republic City like I do."

Bolin nodded his head firmly. "Good idea." He stretched his hands up and pulled at the earth just above them, tearing open a hole above. He paused for a second at a distant gurgling sound. "You hear that...?"

Asami narrowed her brows before widening her bright green eyes. "Get back! I think you've ruptured a pipe!" She grabbed at his arm and tried to pull him away.

They'd been far too close to the pipe to avoid most of the spray, covering their thankfully already dirty clothes in even more unspeakable material. Bolin felt his eyes watering at the suddenly increased stench, he shook off his hands before coughing heavily.

"I think that might be the worst thing that's ever happened to me!" he shrieked. He examined his sewage covered outfit. "...I hope those guys didn't want their clothes back..."

"They won't now," Asami replied quickly before she began climbing up through the now clear opening. She didn't seem too bothered about being coated in a liquid which smelled ten times worse than even the most potent Pro-bending uniform in the arena locker room, and some of those outfits had been dumped in there for weeks. Hasook had been particularly terrible for doing that. At least Korra had much higher hygiene standards than that whiny waterbender.

"Asami! Hold up!"

Bolin scrambled up behind her before quickly sealing over the hole. They'd entered the surface beside a bunch of garbage cans at the back of a building. They were still in down town, a few blocks from city hall. Even from here, he could see the red and black Equalist banners draped down from the front of the building, a large crowd gathered in front of it, a rally. Some of the other refugees in the sewers had mentioned rallies were held daily in the area with different speakers from the revolution, always looking for recruits and keeping support high.

Asami was already across the street by the time he caught up with her, pulling her grey wool hat down over her ears and tucking in loose strands of her long black hair. "We should go to the rally, follow some of the chi-blockers once it's over and knock them out." She briefly pulled up her sleeve, giving a glimpse of the shock glove she wore on her right hand.

"Like this?" He gestured to their current state.

"We look and smell homeless, nobody's going to pay any attention to us," Asami explained. "Equality or not, benders or not, people like this will still be left behind by everyone else. There's no quick fix to that inequality. My dad and Amon won't ever admit to that."

Bolin nodded in understanding, allowing Asami to take the lead as they walked calmly to the huge square in front of city hall. No chi-blocker paid them the blindest bit of attention, actively trying to get out of their way or pretend they hadn't seen them at all. It didn't take them much time to get to the back of the vocal audience present, their smell seemed to be driving people away.

A stage sat at the bottom of the steps leading to city hall, a microphone placed firmly in the center, with loudspeakers all around the square. A woman dressed in basic clothes, emblazoned with the Future Industries logo, was wrapping up her announcement. Bolin kept a firm eye on two chi-blockers to their right who were looking on at the crowd through their green visors.

"And now, please welcome the engine of the revolution! Hiroshi Sato!"

The crowd roared and shouted in euphoria, pumping their fists in the air. Chants of Future Industries could be heard amongst general calls of Sato.

Asami's face went a sickly green color as she ground her teeth furiously. The terrible sewer smell hadn't been anywhere near as effective as the sight of Hiroshi on stage, preaching to the crowd like he was their saviour, their god.

Bolin grabbed her arm firmly. "Asami – we don't have to stay here and listen to this. There are plenty of chi-blockers around town we can grab."

"I have to stay," Asami replied distantly as she glared at the stage with clenched fists.

A chi-blocker to their left gave them a sidelong glance, noting Asami's distress in stark comparison to the rest of the crowd's euphoria. He turned a way after a few seconds.

After the usual Equalist rant Bolin had heard Hiroshi spew before, he switched topic.

"I'd like to address the poisonous rumours regarding my daughter, Asami. She was corrupted by the Avatar, but she has since saw sense and is actively helping Future Industries in creating the latest weaponry to combat bender tyranny. Let this be an end to such treacherous rhetoric and a lesson for others, your own families. They will come to our way of thinking eventually. The oppression of non-benders is impossible for anyone to ignore forever."

"Liar!" Asami shouted furiously, but her protest was lost amongst the jovial screams of the crowd.

However, the two chi-blockers at their right had heard her, and began to approach slowly.

Bolin kept his voice low. "Asami, we gotta go, some chi-blockers are onto us." When Asami didn't move, Bolin wrapped an arm firmly around her and hauled her away from the square, still maintaining a steady pace. He glanced behind them, the chi-blockers were following behind calmly.

"How could he say that, Bolin?! If we ever take back the city...everyone's going to think I helped the Equalists!" Asami fretted angrily, still having to be practically dragged along.

"Then don't die here, live to tell the truth, undo Hiroshi's wrongs," Bolin stated resolutely.

Those words seemed to snap Asami out of her rage filled trance, she began running, sprinting alongside him, back the way they'd came. The chi-blockers were in hot pursuit.

When Bolin rounded the corner of the building, Asami pulled him in against the wall painfully, indicating for him to be quiet. "We can't let them know about the sewers, they need to be taken down here."

Bolin nodded his agreement, listening to the sound of running footsteps approaching.

The two masked chi-blockers came tearing around the corner a heartbeat later, armed with shock gloves and coils.

"Distract them," Asami ordered quietly.

Bolin did as was told, jumping in front of their opponents. "Hey Equalists! Nice weather we're having! Cold, but with sunshine. Equally. Isn't everything super equal today?!"

The chi-blockers stopped in confusion. "Who is this idiot?"

"Some homeless ra-"

The pair didn't even get a chance to finish their conversation as blue light sparked up behind them, their words now cries of pain. They dropped to the ground with a quiet thud a moment later, unconscious. Asami stood behind them with a stern expression, powering down the shock glove.

"Let's get these uniforms and go before more of them show up," Bolin whispered as he crouched down.

"What about mapping Equalist strong points?" Asami asked as she pulled off one of the masks.

"Later. We've already attracted too much attention. Once we've got these outfits, we can move around way easier. Besides, I don't think you're thinking clearly just now – I don't blame you, what your dad just did was horrible. But we need you back at your best for these kinds of reconnaissance missions," Bolin explained softly.

Asami nodded reluctantly. "Sorry – things are just a bit tense right now, with Mako, and everything else... I seriously need a vacation after this is all over...if I'm not thrown in jail first."

 **End Notes**

 **Prompts:**

 **Easy - word (differences) 1 point**

 **Medium - character (Kai) 2 points**

 **Hard - genre (suspense) 3 points**

 **Bonus points:** Include an element that's not air, earth, fire or water. It does not have to be bent but the element must be plot-relevant - electricity (I don't know if that actually counts! I'll leave it to the judges discretion)

I was rewatching book 1 and thought this would be a neat little one shot, for Asami to actually see her dad mouthing off, and to try and explain away the fact that Asami had been fighting against the Equalist cause in the papers and stuff. Make sure to check out all the other fics I've written and leave your thoughts!

Word Count: 2603


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